Already owning a Number One hit with “Heartbreak Hotel,” Elvis had been on television before, but nothing compared to his debut on The Ed Sullivan Show when 60 million viewers tuned in. It was a high profile cultural moment and national event when 82% of the television viewing audience watched Elvis on The Ed Sullivan Show.
This young man, whose sound and raw, energetic performances went against everything the conservative Eisenhower era stood for, captivated the youth of America. That night on the Sullivan show, Elvis entered living rooms across the country and created a cultural revolution that changed musical tastes and entertainment forever.
An average student, Elvis found inspiration at The First Assembly of God, the church his family attended, and where he learned to love gospel music. On his eleventh birthday, Elvis was given a guitar by his mother and, inspired by southern gospel singers like Jake Hess and country artists like Hank Snow and Roy Acuff, he taught himself to sing and play the instrument by ear. As he grew older Elvis became more passionate about music and immersed himself in the sounds of his new home -- Memphis, Tennessee.
